Do you want to ‘like’ your doctor online?

Though most doctors have been reluctant to become Facebook friends with their patients, the rules around health care providers and social media are evolving, reports Kaiser Health News.

The traditional objections to friending patients have centered around issues like protecting privacy, and concerns about doctors being asked to dispense medical advice on social media. But the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, broke new ground this year in its latest social media guidelines, Kaiser reports, by leaving the decision up to physicians.

"If the physician or health care provider trusts the relationships enough … we didn't feel like it was appropriate to really try to outlaw that," said Nathaniel DeNicola, an ob-gyn and clinical associate at the University of Pennsylvania, who helped write the ACOG guidelines.

Of course, all kinds of health advice can be found on Facebook – a lot of it dubious. If your doctor weighs in on a discussion, do you  think it would help or hurt the situation?

Read more from the Check Up blog »